


Something Human

by roryteller



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Gender Dysphoria, Trans Character, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-27
Updated: 2014-08-27
Packaged: 2018-02-14 23:19:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2206812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roryteller/pseuds/roryteller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucy's revelation leads to an unexpected response. Somewhat AU, splitting off from canon timeline sometime after AC2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Human

"Hey Lucy, have you ever used the Animus yourself?"

It was a straightforward question, but the answer could prompt others, so Lucy weighed her words carefully.

"Yes, but only once. Abstergo didn't consider me a potential test subject."

"Were your ancestors boring, like Rebecca's?"

"I guess so. The one I could sync with anyway." Lucy didn't mention the joy she'd felt, syncing with her ancestor, a woman—a joy she'd never been able to share with anyone—Vidic wouldn't understand, her friends couldn't know about the Animus. It was a joy that had quickly faded the moment she'd disconnected from the Animus and become conscious of her own body again. "Trapped in a man's body" was not a phrase she usually favored—her body was hers, a woman's, whatever its form—but in that moment it had felt very apt.

"And now? You could try again, if you wanted."

Lucy heard a noise behind her. She spun around, but Desmond was faster, pinning the intruder—no, Shaun—against the wall of the villa's ruined library.

"Do you mind?" Shaun brushed the dust off of his sweater as Desmond let him go. "Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds, but I need to talk to Lucy."

"Lovebirds??" sputtered Desmond.

Lucy winked at Desmond. "He's onto us."

This set off another bit of sputtering. Lucy followed Shaun underground.

* * *

" _I'm_ descended from Claudia Auditore?"

"Wait, what?"

Lucy pointed at one of the names on the screen. "That's my birth name. Unless there's someone else with the same name, born on the same day, in the same place."

"Well, that would explain why I couldn't find them. You. Sorry."

"It's a good thing I changed my name so early. Still, I'm surprised the Templars didn't know."

"Maybe they did, and Vidic protected you, knowing how badly it went the first time? You don't have to do this."

Lucy shook her head. "We need the information she'd have, you know that. And it's been a couple years—maybe it'll be easier this time."

* * *

By the time Lucy got back to the library, she'd come to a decision.

"Desmond, I have something important to tell you."

She could see him tense, pulling himself upright from where he'd been leaning against the wall. "What is it?"

Lucy sighed. She hadn't wanted to tell him this. "The thing is, I'm trans."

She watched him anxiously, tension mounting when he didn't immediately react.

"So," he said at last, "you're a trans woman?" He seemed puzzled, mulling it over.

"Yes. I'm a trans woman." Lucy said it in her best no-nonsense tone, in spite of the worry she felt.

Desmond smiled-a funny, almost laughing smile.

"Desmond?" Lucy asked.

"I'm sorry," he shook his head. "I was just expecting you to tell me something horrible, like that you're secretly a Templar or something. This is so human, so... normal. It's a relief." His expression sobered. "I know it must have been hard for you to tell me. I mean, I'm bi myself and I know it's not the same, but I don't always tell everyone either. So thank you." He took Lucy's hands in his, a little hesitantly. "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. It means a lot."

"You're a funny guy, you know that?" Lucy squeezed his hands back, then let go. "I'm telling you this because... well, it's a big part of why I never used the Animus very much. I don't know how much you'll understand this, but when you're trans... sometimes I have days when I hate my body. No matter how good I look to others, sometimes it's not enough. Sometimes everything feels wrong, no matter how far I've come. And going in the Animus seems to bring that out in me. I synced with a female ancestor and everything felt _right_ in a way it never had before. I can't even describe it to you. But when I woke up in my own body..." she took a long, shaking breath. "I hadn't had that bad a day in a long time."

Desmond nodded. He was listening, even though he might not fully understand, and that meant a lot. "For what it's worth, I think I'd like you no matter what you looked like."

Lucy smiled, but her heart was heavy with worry and the smile didn't reach her eyes. "That's really sweet, but it doesn't really help."

"Oh. Well, if there's anything I can do, just tell me. I mean it." His eyes on hers were earnest, full of that determination that she found so endearing, which she had seen growing in him since they left Abstergo.

"Thanks. I need you to know because I'm going back into the Animus today. I want you to understand what's going on if I freak out when I wake up."

"I'll be there for you. But who's your ancestor this time?"

"Claudia Auditore."

Desmond's eyes widened, and he took a step back. "Claudia-! Oh my god, this is too weird. You're going to sync with Claudia? She's my-I mean Ezio's-sister!" He covered his face with his hands.

Lucy stifled a laugh. "Why does that bother you so much? Is it the Bleeding Effect?"

"No, it's just- when you spend that much time in someone's head you can't help but think like that. And I like you! If we were normal people, I would ask you out! But it'll be like you're my sister!"

"I'm not Claudia and you're not Ezio." Lucy's voice was soft, gentle as she walked over to Desmond. "And if we were normal people I would go on that date with you."

"If we get out of this alive, I'll hold you to that."

Lucy grinned. "It's a promise. In the mean time, how about a kiss for luck?"

"A kiss? I, uh- okay."

Lucy had imagined their first kiss to be tender and romantic. Instead it was awkward, all wrong angles, bumping foreheads as they tried to adjust for Desmond's height, collapsing of laughter on the floor like the dorky high school kids they had never gotten a chance to be, then tender, kissing his forehead and running a fingertip down his jaw. But when at last their lips met, for a few precious moments it was exactly as she had imagined it, and all was right with the world.

CLICK!

The sound of a camera phone made Lucy's eyes pop open.

"Shaun, you asshole, that had better not go into the database!" Desmond was on his feet, chasing Shaun down into their hideout under the villa as Lucy picked herself up and dusted herself off.

"Not a chance! This is for my personal collection! Hey! Give that back!"

As the sounds of struggle filtered up from the tunnel below, Lucy reflected that this, too, was a kind of perfection–a stolen moment in a broken life.

"I'll get us through this. Somehow."

The words surprised her even as she said them, but their little team had become a kind of family to her, and if there was any way to save them, she knew she would do it. Whatever it took.


End file.
